


An Unexpected Love

by Jekkah



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Cheating, F/M, Family, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-08-24
Packaged: 2017-12-24 13:50:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/940715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jekkah/pseuds/Jekkah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>JJ's discovery at home leads her and Henry to spend some time in Rossi's home. Will love blossom?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ilovetvalot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovetvalot/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I own nothing with Criminal Minds except for my dvds.
> 
> Author's Note: I dedicate this to ilovetvalot, who wrote me a Will/Strauss piece (don't ask – my mind is a scary place). Therefore, I am writing her an honest to goodness, non-fantasy JJ/Rossi romance. This takes place in the general season seven. Here goes!

Chapter 1

"Dammit!"

David Rossi stuck his head out of his office at the sound of the frustrated voice. It was late and he had thought he was alone. Instead, he saw the blond head of their newest profiler sitting at her desk, her hand on her desk phone. She held something large in her arms. It took a minute for him to realize that it was her three-year-old son.

Curious, Rossi made his way into the bullpen. "Is everything okay, JJ?"

JJ jumped, startled. She thought she was the only there. "You scared the hell out of me, Rossi."

"Sorry." Rossi held his hands up in apology. "I could hear you up in my office. What are you doing here?"

"My cell phone's dead and I left the charger at home," she admitted.

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm trying to find a hotel room, but every place is booked."

Rossi raised his eyebrows. "It's the summit. There's not a free room for a hundred miles." He paused, taking in her aggravated body language. "Why are you looking for a hotel room anyway? You live twenty minutes from here."

JJ sighed, careful not to wake Henry. She didn't really want to tell anyone yet, but she was fairly certain judging by the look in Rossi's eye that she wasn't getting out of here with telling him the truth. "I caught Will in bed with another woman."

"Oh, JJ!" Rossi gasped, gripping her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

She shrugged. "I'm not. At least, not about the affair. That's... whatever. Mostly, I'm upset that he did it on my sheets; my brand new 900 thread count sheets. I can never use those again."

Rossi studied her. He could see the anger rolling off of her. He knew she was more hurt than she let on, but he wasn't going to call her on it quite yet. Rossi folded his arms. "Do you want me to take care of him, old school?"

JJ burst out laughing, both at the serious look on his face and his use of "old school." She smiled for the first time since she had gotten home. "No. Thanks for the offer, but no. You could help me find a hotel room, though."

"Why didn't you just call Emily or Garcia or someone else?"

Again, she shrugged. "I didn't really want to tell them, not now, anyway. Garcia will just pity me. Emily will start the tar and feather brigade. Spence will ask a million questions, none of which I want to answer tonight. And the thought of going to Morgan scares me a little."

Rossi nodded in agreement. "What about Hotch?"

"Hotch has a date."

"He what?" Rossi was stunned that he didn't know this. He had been trying to set up his friend for a year with no success.

JJ nodded. "I set him up with a friend of mine. It took me three months to convince him to out on this date. There is no way that I am going to interrupt it with news of my failed relationship. He'll go running for the hills!"

Rossi chuckled at the image of Hotch running into the hills with his hands waving in the air. "Look, JJ, you're never going to find a hotel room tonight and you need to get that little guy into bed. Why don't you two come back to my place?"

"Okay," JJ said without hesitation.

"Really?" Rossi replied, taken aback.

She gave him a confused look. "You're right. I'm not going to find a hotel room tonight. It's late. Henry needs to be in bed and I'm tired. If your offer is sincere, then yes, I'll take it."

"It's, uh, definitely sincere," Rossi assured her, his heart speeding up just a bit. "Here. Let me take him."

Rossi took Henry from JJ and carried him to her car. He gently placed the preschooler in his car seat, giving him a kiss on the forehead, knowing Henry had a rough time ahead of him. Rossi straightened up to see JJ watching him fondly. He squeezed her hand in support before walking to his own car.

As JJ followed Rossi's car, she was shocked to find that her mind wasn't racing as it had been. In fact, since Rossi appeared at her desk, a sense of calm had slowly been filling her. She marveled at that. The anger, disappointment, and sadness were all there, but for the first time since catching Will in her bed with that raven-haired bimbo, she felt as if her life would be okay.

In his own car, Rossi's thoughts were anything but calm. He jumped from disgust at Will to worry over JJ to anger at Will's actions to sadness over Henry to excitement over having JJ stay at his house. She was a beautiful woman and he had been attracted to her from the moment he saw her, but he was trying to leave his womanizing reputation behind him when he rejoined the BAU and she was with Will. Besides, Hotch had made it perfectly clear that the young woman was off limits.

Still, Rossi mused as he unlocked his front door, he enjoyed the time he spent with JJ, even if it was always platonic. Rossi shook his head as he lead JJ and Henry upstairs to one of his guest rooms. This poor woman had just broken up with her longtime boyfriend, the father of her adorable son, and here he was waxing on about how attracted he had been to her, how he loved spending time with her.

"Dave? Dave!"

Rossi blinked rapidly. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't realize she had been calling his name. "I'm sorry, JJ. What?"

She smirked at him. "I said, thank you for letting us stay here tonight. I promise we'll be out of your hair as soon as we can tomorrow."

"No!" Rossi practically shouted. He blushed when she raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean, there's no hurry. You... and Henry... are welcome to stay as long as you need."

"Thanks, but I'm sure after half a day with this little man," JJ motioned to her son, sleeping soundly on the queen-sized bed, "you'll be singing a different tune."

Rossi grabbed her hands. "JJ, listen to me, I happy to have you as long as you want to stay. It'll be nice to have some company."

"Thanks, Dave, for everything." JJ's cheeks tinged pink.

"If you need anything, I'm right down the hall." Rossi released her hands. "Towels are in the closet. You have your own bathroom right through there. Good night, JJ." He cupped her cheek. "Everything's going to be okay."

JJ nodded. She watched as he left the room. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed next to Henry, suddenly feeling exhausted. She wasn't sure what life had in store for her coming up, but she had a feeling she was in for an interesting ride.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Mama. Mama."

JJ came to consciousness slowly, feeling the tiny fingers of her three-year-old son tickling her forehead. She opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. After a beat, it all came back to her: Will and his little whore, the BAU, Rossi. Rossi. She was at Rossi's house. That thought made her feel safe somehow. JJ smiled, turning to Henry.

"Good morning, little man," she told him as she sat up.

Henry grinned. "Mama, where?"

"We are at Mr. Dave's house. Do you remember Mr. Dave?"

"Candy!" Henry shouted after a moment. The last time she had brought an awake Henry to the BAU, Dave had plied him with candy. "Mr. Dave" was his favorite person for a week.

She nodded. "That's right, but no candy. You have to eat breakfast."

Henry sighed. "Okay, Mama."

JJ got out of bed, getting them both ready for the day. She quietly left the bedroom, holding Henry so he didn't wreck havoc in Rossi's house. She bee-lined to the kitchen intent on making breakfast for their host only to find that he had beaten them there and was in the middle of flipping pancakes.

"Mr. Dave!" Henry shouted from his mother's arms.

"Good morning, Henry," Rossi said, cheerfully. "How'd you sleep, JJ?"

JJ settled Henry at the table. "Terrific, actually. You have a great bed."

"Good. Pancakes should be done in just a few minutes."

"You didn't have to do all this," JJ told him, standing next to him. "You did enough just letting us stay here last night."

Rossi turned to her, capturing her blue eyes with his dark ones. "JJ, I meant what I said last night. You are welcome to stay here as long as you'd like."

She reached up and kissed his cheek, whispering, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he croaked, his skin burning where her lips had touched him. "Now, go sit down. You are about to experience something amazing."

"Oh my God, Dave! These are spectacular!" JJ crowed, swallowing her first bite of pancake. She missed the slight darkening in Rossi's eyes.

He grinned from behind his coffee cup. "I'm glad you like them. They were my father's specialty. I haven't made them for anyone in a long time."

"Yummy!" Henry added. He already had syrup all his face, hands, and the table.

"Oh, Henry," JJ sighed, moving to clean up.

Rossi shot his hand out to stop her. "Leave it. He's just going to get messy again."

"But-"

"JJ, he's a kid. Let him make a mess." He held her wrist until she nodded her head. "I know I don't have a reputation for being a kid person, but I actually do like them. Jack and I get along pretty well."

JJ felt her cheeks tinge. "I didn't mean to imply-"

"It's okay," Rossi waved her off. "So, have you thought about a game plan at all?"

"Not really," JJ told him. "We have to go back to the apartment to at least get some clothes. I guess I could call Emily and see if we can stay there for a few days. And I'll have to call Hotch and let him know that I'll need a few days until I get childcare figured out. I really have no idea what I'm going to do."

Rossi reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "What if we go over to your apartment after breakfast and gather some of your things? At least enough to get you through the next two weeks. Then, you can come back here and stay."

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking. I'm offering. This is a huge house, JJ. Why would you turn it down to crowd into a small apartment? We can call Hotch when we get back and let him know that you need to be on stand down for a few days. He'll understand. I'll can call in a few favors and get Henry into the daycare so you won't have to worry about him during the day." He squirmed uncomfortably when JJ just stared at him. "What?"

JJ licked her lips. "It's just... why are you doing all this? For me?"

"Because you're my friend," he replied, earnestly. "Because you need soft place to land. Because no one deserves to walk in on what you walked in on."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad it was you at the BAU last night," JJ told him. Rossi blushed. Unable to maintain eye contact with her, he turned back to his breakfast.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

"Are you sure you don't want me to do this for you?" Rossi asked JJ as they and Henry stood outside her apartment door. Her confidence had wavered once they pulled in front of the building.

"You don't know where anything is," JJ told him, plainly. Plus, the thought of him riffling through her underwear drawer made her a bit uncomfortable.

Rossi sighed. "Okay. At least, let me take Henry so you can get your things together quickly.

Reluctantly, JJ handed Henry over, knowing it would be easier to get things done, but missing the barrier he created between her and the world. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside. The apartment was just as she left it, a bit in disarray in her haste to get her and Henry out of there.

"Hello?" she called out, nervously, but received only silence as an answer. She sighed in relief, feeling a bit lighter. She glanced at Rossi. "Can you do me a favor? There's an empty bin in Henry's room. Help him fill it with toys?"

Rossi nodded, taking Henry down the hall. JJ followed, but veered off into the master bedroom. The deep red brand new sheets lay on the bed, mocking her. JJ shook her head and dove into the closet coming up with two suitcases. She set about packing her things as quickly as possible, including Henry's baby books, taking about a suitcase and a half. She rolled the full suitcase into the hallway and the other one into Henry's room.

As she packed Henry's clothes, she listened to him and Rossi have an entire conversation about the cars that Henry was pushing around the floor. Rossi hung on every word that Henry said, even though only about two-thirds of it was understandable. Henry beamed under the attention.

"You know, Henry," Rossi told him, picking up a black convertible, "I have a car just like this one in my garage. If your mom says it's okay, maybe we can go for a drive later."

"Mama! Drive! Mama!" Henry said, excitedly, bouncing up and down.

JJ chuckled at his antics. "We'll see. Are you guys just about done here?"

"I think so. Henry, can you grab your blanket and your doggie?" Rossi asked him. Henry nodded, running to his bed to grab the items.

"How did you know?" JJ looked at him astonished.

Rossi shrugged. "The dog has a prime spot on his bed so I figured he was Henry's favorite and the last couple of times you've brought him around, he's had that blanket." For the second time that day, Rossi squirmed under her scrutiny. "Are you all ready?"

"Yep. The other suitcase and bag are in the hall. Do you think you can carry Henry's toys?"

"Not a problem."

"And are you sure that you don't want me to call Emily or Penelope and see if we can stay with them?'

Rossi growled at her. "I thought we already went over this."

JJ threw her hands up in surrender. "Okay. Okay. I just wanted to make sure." She turned to Henry, who was clutching his blanket and stuffed dog, watching the two them. "We're going to stay with Mr. Dave for a few days, okay?"

"Okay," Henry agreed. Not for the first time, JJ sent a little prayer of thanks for having such an easygoing kid. At least, he was easygoing as long as he was with his mom.

"All right, Henry," Rossi told him, picking up the box of toys. "Can you hold onto my leg while we go downstairs? If you're really good, I'll take you and your mama out for some ice cream."

"Ice cream!" he shouted, firmly grasping Rossi's pants.

"You coming, JJ?" Rossi questioned when he realized she hadn't followed them all the way to the living room.

JJ paused at the doorway of the master bedroom. "Uh, you guys go ahead to the car. I'll be right there."

Rossi and Henry went to his car. Rossi carefully set the box of toys in the backseat before strapping Henry into his car seat. Henry threw his blanket over his head and cuddled close to his dog, sucking on his thumb. Rossi sat in the front seat for a few more minutes before JJ appeared with the suitcases, looking a bit flushed. She tossed them into the back, then got in next to Rossi, a cat with a canary type grin on her face.

"What did you do?" Rossi asked her in a low voice.

"Let's just say no one's going to be using those sheets... or the bed... anytime soon."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Henry, don't run. Henry!" JJ shouted, chasing Henry down Rossi's hallway while silently cursing Rossi for letting him have sprinkles on his ice cream earlier in the afternoon.

"Gotcha!" Rossi growled, jumping out of his study. He scooped Henry into his arms as Henry squealed, delighted.

JJ chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry we disturbed you. He's always hyper after his nap. I-"

"JJ!" Rossi cut her off forcefully. "You didn't disturb me. And if this is Henry hyper, well, I'm just glad you didn't know me as a kid." He put Henry on his hip. "Did you get all settled in?"

"Uh," JJ hesitated. She had put their suitcases and Henry's toys in the spare room, but hadn't done anything further, not wanting to invade any more of Rossi's space than necessary. "Sure."

Rossi frowned. "Did you at least pick out a room for Henry?"

"I was just planning on keeping him with me."

"No, no. A boy needs his space. Right, Henry?"

Henry nodded. "Right."

"What do you say that you and I-" Rossi was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. "That'll be Hotch."

"You called him already?" JJ asked, following Rossi to the door. She bit her lip, trying to find a way to take Henry back.

Rossi nodded. "The sooner you get this settle, the sooner you can get yourself settled, right, Henry?"

"Right!" Henry agreed once again. Once again, JJ marveled over how quickly her son had warmed up to David Rossi and how much Rossi seemed to enjoy Henry.

"Hi, Uncle Dave!" Jack shouted as Rossi opened the door. He flung his small arms around Rossi's waist. "Hi, Henry."

JJ found her cheeks heating up as she greeted Hotch, suddenly realizing just how ridiculous her situation must appear to him; cheated on and hiding away in Rossi's house. Hotch frowned at the face she was making. He interrupted Jack's animated story about recess yesterday."

"Dave, why don't you take Jack and Henry into the den so JJ and I can talk for a bit?" Off JJ's worried look, Hotch added, "Dave keeps some toys in there for Jack. They'll be fine."

Hotch led her to the kitchen while Dave took the boys the den. Moving familiarly around Rossi's kitchen, Hotch grabbed them each a glass of water. He waited until she sat at the table to sit himself.

"How are you, JJ?" Hotch asked her.

JJ looked up from the table to see nothing but concern in his eyes. She shrugged. "I feel... numb and a bit overwhelmed, but I'm okay." She gave him a small smile. "I can't believe I'm staying at Dave Rossi's house."

"How is that going, by the way?"

"He's been, uh, actually really great. He even wants Henry to pick out his own room. He's insisting that we stay for at least two weeks." JJ sighed. "But I'm so terrified of Henry breaking something or getting into papers or coloring on the walls that I'm spending all of my time trying to control him."

Hotch gave her a rare smile. "Do you notice the angel statue in the living room?" JJ nodded. "There was a matching one, too, once, until Jack broke it running around the house. And the dark color in the guest bedroom? That covered up Jack's masterpiece the first time he spent the night."

JJ laughed at the scandalized look on Hotch's face over the antics of his seemingly perfect son as he thought over the damage inflicted on Rossi's house.

"The point is that if you or I had done that sort of wreckage, he would have our heads, but coming from the boys, he just lets it roll off his back. Go ahead and let Henry run free."

"I'll try," she promised.

"Good. Now, as far as work goes, I've gone ahead and put you on stand down for the next two weeks. I also pulled some strings and got Henry into the daycare at work. You'll have paperwork to fill out on Monday, but everything's all set," he told her.

JJ released a long breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Thank you. I-I don't know quite what to say."

Hotch glanced at the table and then back at her. "It's going to be a rough road, JJ. Trust me. If you need anything, anything at all, please, let me know. I've got a little experience in this area." JJ's eyes widened at the implication. "Dave's a pretty good listener, too. He's going to want to help. It may not be such a bad thing to let him."

JJ opened her mouth to respond, only to close it again when the kitchen door opened. Rossi walked in carrying Jack on his back and Henry on his hip. Jack grinned down at Hotch and JJ.

"Me and Henry are thirsty," Jack announced. "Uncle Dave is getting us some juice."

"Everything okay in here?" Rossi asked, just a hint of nervousness in his tone, as he put both boys on the counter to grab juice from the fridge. Rossi broke into a huge smile when they nodded. "How would you guys like to stay for dinner? We can order pizza."

"Yay, pizza!" Jack shouted. "Can we, Daddy? Please?"

"Please?" Henry repeated, kicking his legs.

Hotch took a deep breath. "Sure."

Rossi tickled Jack and Henry as he cheered. Rossi handed them each a juice box before lowering them from the counter. "Come on, Jack. You and I are going to set up Henry's new room."

JJ glanced at Hotch as Rossi and the boys left the room. Her heart warmed at seeing this playful side of Rossi. "Is he really going to set up a room for Henry?"

"He probably already has two designers on standby."

JJ's eyes grew wide. She waited a beat before jumping from the table. Hotch followed behind her, chuckling to himself. He acted as an intermediate between JJ and Rossi as they argued over just how much to change the spare room into Henry's room. Rossi got as far as putting the clothes into the dresser and the bin of toys in the floor.

Dinner was a production as Jack wanted to have a picnic in the middle of the living room and Rossi indulged him. This meant that Henry was easily able to get up and run around instead of eating, often screaming as he went in circles. Jack spilled his juice all over the floor and then fell in it while trying to grab napkins to clean it. JJ's nerves were frazzled by the end, but Rossi just sat back and smiled.

"Okay, buddy, tell Uncle Dave good-bye and thank you," Hotch instructed after dinner was all cleaned up. JJ had taken Henry upstairs for a bath after saying her good-byes. Rossi walked them out to Hotch's car.

Jack hugged Rossi. "Thanks, Uncle Dave! I had lots of fun."

"Me, too. Come back and visit soon," Rossi told Jack. He kissed Jack's forehead.

"Are Henry and Miss JJ gonna be here?" He was hopping from one foot to the other.

Rossi smiled. "For a few weeks."

Jack lit up. "I hope they stay forever! Miss JJ makes you smile."

"Okay, Jack. Climb into your seat," Hotch instructed. He waited until Jack was firmly in his boaster seat before turning his attention back to Rossi. "You okay with all this?"

"What do you mean?" Rossi asked, confused.

Hotch eyed him. "I know you have... feelings for JJ and that you have for awhile. And now, she's staying in your house."

Rossi crossed his arms. "She needs a soft place to land, that's all, and I have the space."

"Just be careful with your feelings and hers. She hasn't begun to scratch the surface of her emotions. I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

Rossi sighed, wanting to argue. He knew, however, that Hotch was correct. He would have to watch both of their feelings as JJ was going through too much to do it on her own. "I will. I only intend on being her friend right now."

"If you need to talk..."

"I know where to find you. Thanks, Aaron."

Hotch smiled at him as he said good-bye. Rossi waited until the car left the driveway before returning to the house. He thought carefully about what Hotch said about watching his feelings. He wasn't doing that, already pushing JJ to stay longer and trying to set up Henry's room. He had to pull back and remember to be JJ's friend first.

"Hotch and Jack get off okay?" JJ asked, walking downstairs with Henry in her arms. Henry reached his arms out to Rossi.

"Yep," Rossi told her as he took Henry. He drank in JJ's brilliant smile as she watched her son, his heart fluttering. Clearly, this was going to be harder than he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Cupcake!" Garcia squealed when JJ got off the elevator Monday morning. She nearly knocked several agents over trying to get to JJ. "I heard that Henry has enrolled in the daycare downstairs."

"I just dropped him off," JJ replied, incredulously. "How could you possibly have heard that already?"

Garcia strolled next to JJ as she walked towards her desk. "Please. I have sources everywhere. So, tell me, dear friend, why is my gorgeous godson in the downstairs daycare?"

JJ dropped her bag off at her desk. She saw Rossi standing in his doorway out of the corner of her eye. "Will's shift changed and our sitter isn't going to work out so I signed him up for the daycare here."

"Isn't that like really hard to get into?" Reid asked, jumping in on the conversation. "There's like a year waiting list."

JJ sighed while Prentiss asked him with a laugh, "Why do you know the waiting list wait for the daycare?"

"Because I read everything having to do with the Bureau," he replied, matter-of-factually. "So, how did you get around that?"

"Spence, I was the media liaison for how many years? You don't think I learned a few tricks?" She breathed an internal sigh of relief when that answer seemed to satisfy him. JJ sat down at her desk and began to flip through the new files on her desk.

Morgan arrived at his desk with his usual noisy affair. He looked between Rossi's office and the rest of them. "What's going on with Rossi?"

"What do you mean?" Prentiss asked, as she, Garcia, and Reid all looked up. Rossi caught their stares and quickly shuffled to his desk, out of eyesight. "I see what you mean."

"Was he meeting up with an ex-wife this weekend?" Garcia offered. "Maybe he's worried that she'll seek her revenge in the office?"

Prentiss shook her head. "No, I think he's too calm for that. Remember when wife number two showed up at the same restaurant as his date a few months ago? He didn't stay still for a week."

"He seems to be looking for something out here," Reid commented. "See, he just strained his neck to look out here."

"So, are we thinking maybe he's avoiding a meeting with Strauss?" Morgan offered.

Prentiss nodded. "That could be it, although he usually has that gleam in his eye." She looked JJ. "How come you're joining in on the fun?"

JJ cringed, trying to come up with any excuse. She knew exactly why he'd been hovering in the doorway as he had been hovering over her and Henry all weekend. Yesterday had been particularly bad as the reality of her situation had begun to settle in. Rossi did everything he could to perk her up. He ran out and got her favorite ice cream. He sat with her all afternoon while she watched romantic comedies and he went out in the middle of a storm to get her favorite Chinese because he lived too far out for it to be delivered. He had wanted to drive her in and go with her to sign Henry up for daycare, but she had refused him, wanting to hold off everyone else learning the truth as long as possible.

"JJ?" Prentiss called when JJ didn't answer her right away.

"Sorry!" JJ stuttered. "It was a busy weekend. I guess I'm a little out of it."

Garcia smirked at her. "A busy weekend or a busy weekend?"

JJ opened her mouth to say more, but was stopped by a commotion near the doors. Anderson was chasing after Will, asking him to stop for a moment. Will pulled out of his grasped and stormed through the doors to the surprise of the entire bullpen.

"JJ, goddamn it! Where is my son?" Will demanded. His normally calm eyes were red with fire and he was angry enough that he was shaking.

JJ stood suddenly, leading him away from the desks. "Can we discuss this later?"

"No, we can't discuss this later! You've been ignoring my phone calls all weekend! I have a right to know where my son is!" Will screamed at her. "And what the hell did you do to that bed? I-"

Will was cut off suddenly when a fist hit his jaw, causing him to stumble into the wall. There was an audible gasp by Garcia, but the rest of the room seemed to freeze. Rossi took another shot at Will, hitting him in the stomach.

"Dave!" JJ exclaimed, grabbing his arm to stop him from taking another swing.

"Don't you ever yell at her again!" Rossi ordered with barely contained fury. "She is the best thing that could ever happen to you and you-"

Rossi stopped abruptly when Will's fist connected with his eye. Rossi stumbled backwards a few steps. He moved to hit Will again when Morgan grabbed him from behind to stop him. Hotch appeared seemingly out of nowhere and captured Will's arms.

"That's enough!" Hotch roared. "JJ, take Rossi into his office. Will, I want you out of my bullpen now."

"Not until I see my son!" Will shot back.

JJ raised her hands. "I will call you tonight to discuss Henry."

Rossi struggled against Morgan's grip. "You're not going anywhere near that kid unless it's supervised! And I'll make sure my attorneys dig up every piece of dirt on you, you scumbag!"

"Morgan, get him out of here!" Hotch implored Rossi silently to listen to him. Rossi threw his hands in the air, but allowed Morgan to pull him away.

"You sure didn't wait long to jump into Rossi's bed," Will spat out.

JJ slapped him across the face. "That's pretty funny coming from the guy screwing some whore on my brand new sheets! If I want to screw the entire BAU, it's none of your goddamn business!"

"I think we're done here," Hotch said, leading Will out of the bullpen.

JJ watched wordlessly as Hotch and Will walked out. She turned to see the rest of the BAU team staring at her. Unwilling to answer their questions, she quickly made her way to Rossi's office. He was sitting in his chair, holding his hand over his eye. Morgan was standing in the doorway, watching him.

"Can you grab me some ice?" JJ asked Morgan quietly. He nodded and left the room. JJ took a deep breath before walking over to his desk. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

Rossi nodded. "It's in the bottom drawer."

She leaned down and pulled the kit from the drawer. Rossi found his gaze unwittingly drawn to her backside. He mentally chastised himself. JJ sat down on the desk in front of him, pulling his chair close to her. She grabbed an alcohol swab to clean up the cut by his eye.

"What were you thinking, Dave?" she asked him.

"I wasn't," he admitted, sadly. "I could just hear him shouting at you and it's like my mind went blank. You don't deserve that JJ, especially in front of everyone."

JJ hummed. "So, you said."

He winced as she touched the swab to his skin. "I'm sorry, JJ."

"I-"

"JJ?" Morgan knocked on the door as he opened it. He handed her a bag of ice and a tea towel he had managed to scrounge up. "I have the ice."

JJ smiled as she took it. "Thanks, Derek. How are things out there?"

"Hotch has everyone back to work, but you're not going to get rid of Garcia until she gets some answers." Morgan shot her an apologetic glance before leaving the office once again, shutting the door behind him.

"I'll understand if you want to find somewhere else to say for awhile," Rossi told her, defeatedly. He was trying to savor the feel of her delicate fingers on his face, the smell of her lavender shampoo, in case she never got this close again.

JJ grabbed a band-aid from the first aid kit and carefully laid it over his cut. "I think we'll stay, if that's okay with you. I'd hate to move Henry again... unless you're looking to get your bachelor pad back."

"Definitely not." Rossi cleared his throat when she raised an eyebrow. "I promised Henry that we would play cars after work today. I can't disappoint him."

"No, you definitely can't." JJ's face grew serious. "Thank you, Dave, for everything; for taking us in, for being so amazing with Henry and with me; for defending my honor."

Rossi placed his hand on her shoulder. "Does this mean that you're not mad at me for getting into a fight with your ex?"

She shook her, her skin burning through her blouse where he touched her. "Who could be made at their very own knight in shining armor?"

"JJ," Rossi mumbled, his hand running down her arm and over her hand. The room suddenly felt much hotter and he knew that if he didn't stop now, he was going to kiss her. She was definitely not read for that. He shot her half a smile. "I'm nobody's knight. I'm more of the court jester."

JJ laughed aloud, glad that he had broken the tension in the room. "Yeah, well, you can be that, too. Here." She wrapped the ice with the towel and handed it to him. "Keep that on your eye. What do you say you let Henry and I take you out to dinner?"

"Even looking like this?" He waved his free hand at his face.

"Yep. It's the least you deserve. Six o'clock?"

"Six o'clock," he repeated. His heart skipped a beat when she flashed a smile at him.

JJ hopped down from the desk and he immediately missed her body heat. "Well, I suppose I should go face the music."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Rossi smiled, hearing her chuckle as she left his office. He laid his head against his chair and closed his eyes. His face hurt horrendous, but it was worth it. She was worth it. He would got to battle for her anytime. His smile widened as he remembered her calling him her "knight in shining armor."

He may not be quite yet, but he was determined to become it.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Okay, blondie," Garcia ordered as soon as JJ left Rossi's office. "You and me need to have a chat right now."

"Ooh, I'm coming!" Prentiss nearly shouted, jumping from her seat. She followed Garcia as she lead JJ by the wrist into her office.

Garcia forced JJ into a chair as soon as they entered her lair. She threw herself into her chair, rolling it so that her knees touched JJ's. Prentiss leaned against the desk with her arms folded, an amused twinkle in her eyes.

"Okay, Jayje, spill," Garcia demanded.

JJ released a long breath while she looked up at the ceiling, knowing she wasn't getting out of this conversation, but desperately wanting to. JJ flashed them both a small smile. "I caught Will in bed with another woman Friday night."

"That much we gathered from your little outburst right after you hit the son of a bitch," Prentiss told her, fire replacing her amusement. "What we want to know is how Rossi got involved."

"After I caught him, I took Henry and came back to the BAU. Rossi was still here and offered us a place to stay for a few days until I can figure a few things out. That conference had all the hotel rooms booked up."

Garcia exchanged a worried look with Prentiss. "You're still staying with Rossi?"

JJ shrugged. "Yeah, he offered, practically insisted, and I don't want to move Henry more often than I have to. His entire world is already upside down."

"Why didn't you call me? Or Emily?" There was an underlining of hurt in Garcia's voice.

"Because I wasn't ready to deal with the fallout that telling either one of you creates. I'm still not sure that I'm ready for it." JJ sighed at their confused faces. "Penelope, you're looking at me with nothing but pity and Emily, you fist is clenched so hard, you're going to leave bruises. I need to deal with this my way."

Garcia rubbed her hands together. "And your way involves David Rossi?"

JJ tapped her foot nervously off the ground. "Dave's been really great the last few days. He's actually amazing with Henry. He's made us feel completely at home. He hasn't judged me or the situation. Honestly, no offense, but I couldn't ask for a better friend than Dave right now."

"We're just concerned-"

"You have nothing to be concerned about," JJ cut her off.

Prentiss lifted herself off the desk and took a step closer to them. "JJ, we all know that you've confessed to having some feelings for Rossi."

JJ stood from the chair. "No, I confessed that I was attracted to him. I never said anything about feelings. And I was drunk at the time. You can't hold that against me!"

"We're not, Jayje," Garcia placated. "We just know that it can get confusing. I mean, you're just getting out of a fairly long relationship, one with the father of your son, and in comes the tall, handsome hero ready to sweep you off your feet. It's so easy to mix those emotions up. We don't want you to get hurt."

"There is no sweeping and there are no emotions other than friendship and gratitude," JJ told them, firmly, though she could hear a little voice of doubt in the back of her head. "If Hotch hadn't been on his date with Carrie, I would have called him. Besides, Rossi sees me as a daughter or a little sister."

It didn't slip by either Garcia or Prentiss that she went back to calling him "Rossi." Emily settled back on the desk. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, JJ. He did attack Will."

"And told him, and I quote, 'She is the best thing that could ever happen to you,'" Garcia added.

"That's nothing that my brother wouldn't say to Will if he knew the situation," JJ countered. She rolled her eyes when she saw that they remained unconvinced. "Look, I'm going to go check on Henry."

"What are you going to do about Henry?" Garcia asked, softly.

JJ shook her head, one hand on the doorknob. "I'm not sure. I don't trust Will, but he's Henry's father. I can't keep him away."

Prentiss nodded. "Rossi say something about supervised visits. Maybe, he'll get someone to keep an eye on them."

"Maybe," JJ agreed. She wasn't going to fight it if Rossi offered a second time. The incident on Friday and now with Will storming into the BAU just proved she didn't know him like she thought she did. It wouldn't surprise her if he tried to take off with Henry. It wouldn't surprise her if he did anything at this point. JJ offered them a small smile. "I'll keep you updated. Don't worry about Rossi and me. We're just friends."

But as she left the office, the tiny voice of doubt shouted, "Then what about the reaction to his touch?" Frowning, JJ told the voice to shut up. Garcia was right. She had just gotten out of a long relationship; her longest ever. It wouldn't do any good to start something up with Rossi even if he wanted to and she wasn't convinced that he did, no matter what Garcia and Prentiss thought.

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"How's the eye?" Hotch asked Rossi, walking into his office without knocking.

Rossi lifted his head from the back of his chair. "So, knocking's optional now?"

"I wasn't sure you'd let me in," Hotch admitted. He sat down across from Rossi. "So, how is the eye?"

"Hurts like a bitch. So does my hand, if you're keeping score." Rossi braced himself for Hotch's next words.

Hotch nodded. "I thought you were going to watch your feelings. I thought you were only going to be her friend."

Rossi glared at him. "I was just being her friend. You can't tell me that a part of you didn't want to punch that Cajun bastard for what he's putting both her and Henry through. What did you say to him anyway?"

"I won't deny it." Hotch ignored his last question. "But, Dave, that wasn't friendship in your eyes. You wanted to kill him. You threatened your lawyers on him. You told him that you would make sure he would only get supervised visits. You definitely sounded like more than a friend."

"He just really pissed me off, Aaron," Rossi sighed, sounding defeated. "All I could think about was that he was attacking JJ and she didn't deserve that. I don't know what made me actually hit him."

Hotch leaned forward a small smirk on his face. "Really?"

Rossi waved him off. "Okay, I know. I just... I'll control my emotions better going forward."

"What did JJ have to say about your performance out there?"

Rossi looked away from Hotch, digging his fingers into his thigh as he muttered, "She called me her 'knight in shining armor.'" He groaned at the entertained look now sitting on Hotch's face. "It's nothing. She doesn't see me as anything other than a friend, like an older brother."

"Sure."

"Don't you have some reports to go write up or a mirror to practice your stare in or something?"

Hotch chuckled as he rose. "I do have a meeting to go to. Try not to get into any more fights, Ali."

"I make no promises!" Rossi called after him as Hotch left his office. He laid his head back on the chair. His mood had been buoyed when JJ left his office with plans of the three of them going out to dinner, but now, he could feel uncertainty creeping in. He worked on a team of elite profilers. Surely, they all saw what Hotch saw, which was a man in love with an unattainable woman; a woman who was too young for him, who had a son, who was just getting out of a messy relationship.

"Hey," JJ said from the doorway. She stepped a few feet inside. "I saw Hotch leave. You didn't get into a trouble over Will, did you?"

Rossi shook his head, unable to hide his smile over her concern. "Mostly, he came to offer tips."

JJ laughed. "Yeah, I can just see that."

"Seriously, JJ, it was nothing. I think Hotch wishes he could have gotten a punch in himself. Will better hope he doesn't run into anyone from the team anytime soon."

JJ grimaced, even as inwardly a warmth spread across her chest. "Speaking of which, I should probably make sure that Garcia isn't doing anything to his bank account." She paused at the door, turning back to him. "Dave..."

"What is it, JJ?" he asked, when her voice trailed off.

"Do you think it's odd that I don't miss Will?" She took a deep breath. "I mean, I'm angry at him, but I'm mostly angry that I didn't see this. I'm angry that he would put our son in this position. I'm not angry that we're no longer a couple. In fact, I feel kind of relieved, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Why do you think that is?"

Rossi licked his lips, trying to remain impartial. "I don't think I can answer that for you, JJ. I can say that this is all still pretty new so you might end up feeling some things later that you don't feel now, but even if you don't, there's nothing odd about it. There's no rule book for this kind of thing, not matter what magazines tell you."

That caused JJ to grin, her heart feeling lighter. "I should get back to work. I'm going to come check on your eye in a bit, if that's okay."

"You are always welcome in here," Rossi assured her. "Go do some work. You, me, and Henry have six-thirty reservations for Isabella's."

"Sounds delicious." With that, JJ turned once again and left the room.

Rossi returned his head to his chair, a thousand emotions swirling in his head. He knew he shouldn't take her at face value when she said she felt relieved, that she wasn't angry that they were no longer a couple, but he couldn't help the kernel of hope that settled in his chest. She was obviously worried about him. The cut on his eye wasn't bad enough to warrant on this attention. Maybe it wouldn't take as long as he feared for her to get over her break-up with Will. Maybe she didn't seem as the older brother that he told Hotch she did. Maybe there was hope for this unlikely couple.

If only he could get inside her head to see what she was really thinking.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Are you sure that you don't want me to take him?" JJ asked Rossi as they walked to the front door. Henry had fallen asleep on the way home from the restaurant and Rossi had insisted on taking him into the house.

"JJ," Rossi sighed, "he's fine. I'm fine. Stop being..."

She paused as his voice trailed off. "Stop being a what?"

Rossi took a few steps away from her. "Stop being an overprotective mom."

"That's so not what you were going to say," she told him, grabbing the key from his hand to unlock the front door. She held the door open for them, shivering a bit when Rossi brushed her arm.

"Maybe not, but that's the only answer that you're getting," Rossi replied.

JJ hovered around Rossi as they slowly made their way upstairs, much to his chagrin. He was rolling his eyes by the time they reached the guest room that Henry was staying in. JJ stopped in front of the door, stepping in front of them. "I should really wake him up and make him take a bath."

Rossi released a slow breath. "Jennifer, he's fine. He can take a bath in the morning if he really needs it. Now, stop fussing and open the door."

"Okay. Okay." JJ's jaw dropped as she surveyed Henry's room. Gone were the green curtains and matching bedspread that welcomed guests. In their place were blue curtains and a matching bed set covered in Matchbox cars. The tan carpeting was replaced with road filled rugs. There were shelves of books and toys and even a car toy box. It seemed as though ever Matchbox toy was now in the room. JJ turned to Rossi, her eyes wide. "You did all of this?"

He shrugged. "My designer did."

"But-"

"JJ, I just wanted to do something nice for him," Rossi explained further.

She opened and closed her mouth several times before speaking. "This is too much."

Rossi shook his head. "This is hardly anything. The best part is that he can take it with him wherever you guys end up settling down."

"He's going to love this," she breathed out, her heart swelling with affection towards Rossi. "I don't know how I can thank you."

"Just enjoy it. That's all I ask." Rossi held her gaze until he could see her cheeks reddening. "Now, what do you say we get this little one into bed? As much fun as it is to have him in my arms, they're getting a little tired."

JJ shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. "Yeah, let me just grab his pajamas from the top drawer and-"

Her cell phone ringing stopped her mid-sentence. JJ grabbed it from her pocket and frowned when she saw the caller ID. "It's Will."

"Take it. I'll get him into bed," Rossi assured her. He smiled sadly as he watched her leave the room. He changed Henry into pajamas and tucked him into bed.

"Love you, Mr. Dave," Henry whispered as Rossi put his stuffed dog in his arms. Henry's eyes never opened.

Rossi bent down and kissed Henry's forehead. "I love you, too."

Rossi continued to stroke Henry's hair for a few more minutes lost in thought over JJ's phone call with Will. As angry as she had been with Will earlier that day, there was a small voice in Rossi's head that whispered about Will's charms. He had gotten JJ in the first place, after all, and she was not one to easily give her heart. Tired of his own thoughts, he made his way downstairs where he found JJ sitting in the living room, staring at the empty fireplace.

"Despite your best effort, I don't think even you can start a fire with just a glare," Rossi commented to her as he walked into the living room. He smirked when she jumped.

"Are you saying I've lost my touch?" JJ teased, happy for the distraction.

Rossi chuckled as he sat down on the couch near her. "Only with inanimate objects. With people, you are as fierce as you have ever been."

JJ let the compliment wash over her as she laid her head back against the couch. She was silent for a few minutes before speaking. "I've agreed to let Will see Henry tomorrow at lunch. I'm going to pick Henry up from daycare and we'll meet him at the park."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Rossi offered, hoping she would say yes.

"That's very sweet and a very bad idea given what happened today," she replied. "I asked Hotch to come with me."

Rossi fought the rising jealousy in his gut. It made sense that she asked Hotch, given their friendship and the fact that Hotch had been through something similar. It wasn't as though Hotch was going to use this opportunity to grow closer to JJ; not when he knew how Rossi felt about her.

"Dave?" JJ bit her lip as he looked at her with clouded eyes. "Did I lose you somewhere?"

"Uh, sorry. I guess, I was woolgathering," he answered. Woolgathering? Yeah, that'll show her how young you are, Rossi. "I think Hotch being there is a good choice."

JJ sat up straighter. "So, did Henry go down okay?"

Rossi nodded. "He barely woke up as I put him in bed. You have an amazing son, JJ."

"Thank you." JJ's face lit up with pride. "And thank you for the room and dinner and everything you've done the last few days. I have no idea how I'm going to repay you for all of this."

"JJ, I don't want you to. I love you." He gulped. "You're my friend. This is what friends do."

She smiled, reaching out to grab his hand, intertwining their fingers. "Well, if there's anything that you ever need, please let me know."

Rossi kissed the top of her head, relishing the feel of her as she settled against him. "I'll keep that in mind. How are you doing? Now, that you've talked to Will?"

"Surprisingly," she sighed, "I'm okay. I was able to talk to him calmly. I don't trust him with Henry right now, but I don't feel the white hot anger that I felt a few days ago." She laid her head on Rossi's shoulder. "I don't even feel the same amount of anger that I felt this afternoon."

"I'm serious about the lawyer, JJ. I'll get you the absolute best one possible." Rossi released her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder. He was pleasantly surprised when she simply grabbed his other hand and brought it to her lap.

"I know. I'll let you know if it goes to that. I'm hoping that we can avoid that route."

Rossi hummed in agreement. "And if he even thinks about going for custody, I will have a private investigator dig up dirt from kindergarten. No one is going to take that kid away from u-, um, you."

JJ squeezed his hand. "Hopefully, it won't come to that. We'll see how it goes tomorrow."

"You'll call me if something happens tomorrow, right? I can be there in ten minutes." Rossi's voice was nearly pleading with her.

"I will," she agreed. "And I will come see you as soon as I get back to let you know how it went. He, Will, seemed much more reasonable on the phone than he did this afternoon. Maybe he realized that it's better for Henry to work out an amicable solution."

"I hope so, for both you and Henry," Rossi replied, even as he knew he was still angry enough at the man to tear him in two with his bare hands.

JJ nuzzled even closer to Rossi's body, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she breathed in his scent. "So, what were you and Henry plotting at dinner anyway?"

Rossi closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. "He wanted to know when we could have another picnic with Jack. I told him that we would do it this weekend and that I would have the pool ready so that they could go swimming. Don't worry," he said when he felt her bristle. "It's an indoor pool."

"An indoor pool?" she repeated. "Henry's never going to want to leave here."

"All part of my secret plot to get you to stay," he joked.

JJ muttered incoherently, not really having a reply to that. She didn't want to think about living arrangements or custody agreements anymore tonight. She felt safe sitting on the couch close to Rossi. As sense of belonging settled deep in her bones, but she refused to examine it tonight. Instead, she closed her own eyes and gripped Rossi even tighter, content to live in just the moment for the time being.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Rossi paced in front of his door for the fiftieth time in the past two hours. He hadn't heard from JJ or Hotch since they left to take Henry to meet Will nearly three hours ago. As the time ticked by, Rossi felt all his uncertainties from the previous night creep back in. He tried to tell himself that he was being ridiculous, that with as angry as JJ was at Will that she would never take him back. He tried to tell himself that Hotch would look out for her, but that only led to thoughts of JJ and Hotch alone, working through her issues, growing closer, shutting him out.

"Get a hold of yourself," Rossi muttered to himself. He knew Hotch would never hit on JJ. He knew Hotch wouldn't do anything to hurt either him or JJ and that, in his own way, he was rooting for them to... well, Rossi wasn't exactly sure what Hotch was rooting for with them, but he knew it was good.

Rossi's pacing stopped when he heard the beautiful sound of JJ's laughter out in the hallway. He hurried from the doorway, but kept close enough to hear what was going on outside. He was startled when he heard JJ's voice outside of Hotch's office.

"Thanks for coming today, Hotch," she said. In Rossi's mind, she had laid a hand on Hotch's arm. "You really made it easier by being there. Will was on his best behavior."

"He always did seem a bit intimidated by me," Hotch replied. Rossi could see in his head Hotch drawing nearer to JJ.

JJ chortled. "That's putting it mildly. Seriously, though, I think your presence kept his temper under control. I am honestly starting to believe that Will and I will be able to work out a custody agreement."

Rossi's heart dropped as he imagined Hotch placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know, if there's anything you need, anything at all, you can come to me. I'm an old hat at this."

"I guess you are. I just... can't thank you enough. I-"

"No!" Rossi shouted, rushing out of the office as he got up in his fantasy, seeing JJ standing on her toes, one hand on Hotch's cheek about to kiss him. He froze when he realized that the reality was that Hotch and JJ were standing nearly three feet apart carrying on a normal conversation.

JJ glanced at Hotch before turning a concerned gaze on Rossi. "Is everything okay, Dave?"

Rossi closed his eyes briefly, embarrassment racing through his veins. "I just realized that I'm out of coffee, the, uh, good stuff I got from Indonesia." He turned and quickly walked away from them.

"Dave, wait!" JJ called after him. She squeezed Hotch's hand in thanks before jogging after Rossi. She caught him outside of the kitchenette. "I thought you'd want to hear about what happened at the meeting."

"I did. I do," Rossi affirmed. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "So, how did it go?"

JJ rubbed her eyes. "I think it went really well. He seemed to understand why I'm uncomfortable with letting him be alone with Henry right now. He's agreed to meet in a neutral place for visitation for a few hours Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons."

Rossi frowned. "That's going to take up a lot of your time."

"It is, but I think it's better than panicking every time Will takes Henry that he's going to run off with him. We're going to see how this arrangement works for a few weeks or so and if it does, we'll revisit Will taking Henry on his own. As long as that goes well, we'll establish a routine and have it done in the courts," JJ explained.

"Sounds good," Rossi explained, "but I'm still going to have someone look into him, just in case. I know you told me last night that you wanted to wait, but-"

"I should probably be an adult here and tell you that you should respect Will's privacy," JJ told him, "but, frankly, I'm too scared for that. But, do me a favor and only tell me if you think I absolutely need to know what's going on."

Rossi stuck out his hand. "Deal."

JJ laughed as she shook it. "Thanks, Dave, for everything."

"I thought you weren't going to thank me anymore."

"I'm working on it," she joked. "Anyway, I need to get to Garcia before she grills us all. She thinks there may be an available apartment in her building, too."

Rossi covered up a groan by clearing his throat. "I've been thinking about that, Jayje, and I really think that until things are settled between you and Will that you guys should just stay with me."

JJ bit her bottom lip. "This could drag on for months or more."

"I understand that," he said. "I really don't mind. I love having you guys there. I just think that Henry's pretty settled-"

"Thanks in no small part to that room you set up for him."

Rossi grinned. "He's going to be going through enough changes with the custody arrangement so why not wait until everything's done to move him again."

JJ studied his eyes. She could see the sincerity there, but saw something else, too, that she couldn't quite pin down. "You're right. It would be better for Henry if we stayed in one place for awhile. I'll stop looking for somewhere else to live for now."

"Good. I'm glad that's settled." Rossi's smile grew wider and he could feel his heart beat stronger when her lips upturned to match his. "Now, go see Garcia before we're both in trouble."

"I'll see you later," she laughed before heading off towards Garcia's office.

"Count on it," Rossi whispered, watching him go.

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"And Will really agreed to that?" Garcia asked after JJ explained the afternoon meeting.

"He did. I think it helped that Hotch told him that he planned on being there every step of the way," JJ said. "Will was always kind of scared of Hotch."

Garcia scoffed. "I'm sure that Rossi will just love that, too."

JJ paused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, sweetie," Garcia sighed. "You may not be ready to admit that your feelings for Rossi run more than platonic, but let me guarantee that his do."

"We're friends; that's all," JJ protested, but her mind drifted to last night when the two of them sat cuddled on the couch.

Garcia patted JJ's knee. "You keep telling yourself that."

JJ felt annoyance grow in her stomach. "I'm telling you it because it's true."

"Do you know that he paced his office the entire time that you and Hotch were gone? He tried to hide it from the rest of us, but he did a horrific job of it," Garcia explained, patiently. "That was after he spent a full five minutes staring at the elevator after you left."

"I-" JJ took a deep breath to sort out her thoughts. She knew it was pointless to argue with Garcia once she got an idea in her head. "Even if he does have 'less than platonic' feelings towards me, that doesn't mean that I feel the same. And even if I did," she cut Garcia off when Garcia opened her mouth to counter, "I just got out of a long-term relationship and I am nowhere near ready to jump into another one. Neither is Henry. Besides, Will and I agreed that we would bring any significant others around Henry for a long time."

"And I suppose living with yours would break that?" Garcia teased.

JJ shook her head, rolling her eyes. She opted to change subjects slightly. "So, Rossi's going to hire a private investigator to research Will."

"That's a good idea," Garcia said, emphatically. "You agreed right?"

"I did. You don't think I'm being paranoid?"

For a second time, Garcia scoffed. "When it comes to my adorable baby gumdrop, I don't think you can be too paranoid. And if his father tries anything, anything at all, Jayje, I just need five minutes on the computer."

JJ's eyes grew wide as she stood. "Thanks, Garcia, but I'd rather keep your hands clean. I'm going to get back to work."

"Have fun."

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"I expected you early," Hotch commented, dryly when Rossi knocked on his open door.

"You were expecting me?" Rossi shut the door and sat in one of the chairs.

Hotch put down his pen and smirked at Rossi. "It seems that every time I talk to JJ these days, you're right behind her, trying to glean some sort of information."

Rossi sulked. "I am not trying to glean anything."

"Sure. So, what can I do for you, Dave?" Hotch asked.

"I'm hiring a private investigator to look into Will. I want to make sure that he's not setting JJ up to grab Henry and take off," Rossi told him.

Hotch nodded. "That makes sense."

Rossi leaned forward. "You think so?"

"Dave, child custody can get ugly real fast," Hotch explained further. "And JJ is clearly scared that he might take off with Henry. She's a reasonable person, even throughout this whole ordeal so far, so that tells me that there's a reason she thinks that, even if she's not sure what it is."

"I've also asked her and Henry to stay with me until at least things are settled with the custody arrangement."

"I see," Hotch sighed.

Rossi rubbed his face. "What?"

Hotch fiddled with the pen on his desk. "It makes sense to keep Henry's life as steady as possible right now, but I can't help but worry about what this is going to do to you and to JJ. This isn't the right time to get involved."

"I know that," Rossi replied, hastily.

"Do you?" It was Hotch's turn to lean forward. "It's going to get harder to keep your feelings buried the longer that they stay with you. Are you prepared for that?"

Rossi stood. "I'll do whatever's best for JJ and Henry."

"Just don't forget yourself, Dave. You matter, too." Hotch stopped him as he hit the door. "And Dave? Next time, come up with a better excuse for interrupting a very innocent conversation between JJ and me than I ran out of the good coffee."

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, strolling out of the office. He was in for a bumpy ride.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

All was calm for two months.

For two months, JJ and Will got along cordially. Will dutifully met up with JJ every Monday and Wednesday evening and every Saturday afternoon to spend time with Henry. After the initial week, JJ hung back, working or reading a book to allow the father and son some private time together. After two weeks of that, she felt comfortable enough to return to work and allow the nanny that Rossi hired to take over when she was stuck at work or away on a case.

"You're what?" JJ repeated, staring at her ex. He had called her up that morning and requested a meeting with her. Against her better judgment, she met him at a small coffee shop halfway between both of their works when he assured her it regarded Henry.

"I'm moving Colorado, Boulder, to be exact," Will replied with a sigh.

"You're not taking Henry," she said, automatically.

Will sighed again, his ears betraying the anger he was attempting to suppress. "I had no intentions of it."

JJ closed her eyes briefly. "Why?"

"I'm getting married," he replied, "and Denise's father offered me a position in his private security firm."

"Denise?" she repeated. "Is that your whore's name?"

Will clenched his fists. "We're having a baby together, Henry's half-sibling. I'd like you to keep that in mind when you're talking about her in future."

JJ rolled her eyes, but said nothing further about Denise. "When are you leaving?"

"Saturday."

"Saturday," JJ squeaked, her voice higher than normal as the information sunk in. "That's in two days!"

He nodded. "We just want to move on with our lives as quickly as possible."

She narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean for Henry?"

"Henry is my son and I will always love him," Will stated, "but we think it would be better if he doesn't come out to Colorado for awhile."

"Are you kidding me? You freaking threatened me over my son two months ago and now you're just going to walk out of his life?" She was heaving near the end of her sentence.

Will huffed. "I'm not walking out of his life. I'll still come back to see him as often as I can, at least, every other month. Then, when things are settled and Henry's a little older, he can come visit us."

JJ threw her hands up in disgust. "Do whatever. But you will sign papers giving me sole custody of Henry."

"Have your lawyers draw up the paperwork." He sneered, "Or should I say, have Rossi's lawyers draw up the paperwork?"

"Don't even start," she told him, almost eerily calm. "You lost the right to judge anything about me the moment you brought that woman in our home, into our bed."

Will let out a long breath, knowing if he attempted to defend himself it would only escalate into a knockdown fight. "I'd like to see Henry Friday afternoon to say good-bye."

JJ nodded. "I'll take the afternoon off. We'll meet you in the park at one. Do you want me to tell him that you're moving or do you want to tell him tomorrow?"

"You can tell him," Will told her, visibly relieved that he didn't have to be the one to look at the three-year-old's face when he learned the news.

"Fine." JJ grabbed her bag and flung it over her shoulder. "We'll see you tomorrow. I'll have the papers for you then."

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"I need to talk to you, now!" JJ barked at Rossi as she stormed through the BAU. Rossi jumped, nearly spilling his coffee onto Prentiss. He hurried to follow her into his office.

"What happened?" he asked, closing the door to his office. "What did Will say?"

JJ threw her bag across the room, feeling a slight sense of satisfaction when it thumped against the wall and then the floor. "He's moving. The bastard put me through hell for two months, afraid to leave my son alone with him to the point that I had you hire a nanny and a body guard to watch, but he's decided he's just going to up and move."

Rossi stepped forward. "He's not taking Henry."

She allowed a small smile to grace her lips when he had the same initial reaction as she did before the anger rushed back in. "The bastard doesn't even want him now!"

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"It appears that he and Denise," JJ gagged when she said her name, "are having a baby and getting married and Henry doesn't fit into their Christmas card life style."

Rossi clenched his jaw, outrage flooding his soul. It was inconceivable to him that anyone could turn away from that amazing little boy. Rossi forced himself to remain even when he spoke. "How are you handling everything?"

JJ rubbed her eyes, her shoulders slouching. "Can I have a hug?"

"Of- of course," Rossi said, pulling JJ into his arms without preamble. He settled his arms around her, suppressing a groan when she nuzzled her nose into his neck.

"I don't understand how he can just turn his back on my baby," JJ admitted. "I mean, I didn't completely trust him, but I still wanted him to a part of Henry's life. What's Henry going to think?"

Rossi rocked her softly. "He's going to think that he has a mom that loves him to death; that he has a Mr. Dave that adores him and an Aunt Penelope and Uncle Spencer that would do anything for him. Tack on Aunt Emily and Mr. Derek and Mr. Hotch and Jack and that's one lucky kid. We just have to keep telling him that Will didn't leave because of him. It'll take some time and a lot of reassurance, but I believe he'll be okay."

She hugged him tighter. "When you say that, I almost believe it."

"Believe it, sweetheart, because it's true." Reluctantly, he released her, but remained closed to her. "When is he leaving?"

"Saturday."

Rossi's jaw dropped. "The bastard only gave Henry two days to get prepared for this?"

JJ nodded. "I told him that I would tell Henry tonight. He wants to see him tomorrow afternoon."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Rossi asked, torn between wanting to be there for JJ and Henry and wanting to never see that man's face again.

"No, but thank you for the offer," she replied. JJ looked up at him bashfully. "Would you- would you mind being there when I talk to Henry?"

Rossi cradled her face in his hands. He kissed her forehead. "You wouldn't find me anywhere else."

JJ smiled, forcing her hands to remain at her side when she wanted to run them over the tingly spot left by his lips. "Thank you. Pick you up at six?"

"I'll be waiting."

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"Daddy moving?" Henry repeated. He looked from his mother to Rossi in confusion. He was sitting in Rossi's living room on the couch between the two adults. "Where?"

"Far away," JJ told him, "to Colorado."

Henry licked his lips, his eyes wide. "We move, too?"

JJ shook her head. "No, we're going to stay here."

"With Mr. Dave?"

"Uh, well," she stumbled.

Rossi laid a hand on Henry's knee. "Yes, with Mr. Dave. At least, for now."

JJ let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't realized until Henry's question that she never thought about leaving Rossi's house. She was comfortable here with him and Henry and she was hesitant to even think about leaving the cocoon they had built.

"Is Daddy mad?" Henry asked them, his voice growing quieter.

"No, you're daddy's not mad," JJ assured him, hugging Henry into her side. "Why would you think your daddy was mad?"

Henry lowered his head, shrugging. "Daddy's leaving me."

JJ shook her head. "Daddy isn't leaving you, Henry. He isn't mad at you. He loves you very much." She took a deep breath. "Daddy got a new job, but it's far away so he has to move. He is going to call you when he can and he's going to come see as often as he can."

"Daddy come visit?" Henry questioned.

"He will," she confirmed. "We are going to see Daddy tomorrow so that you can say good-bye, okay?"

Henry nodded. He folded his hands in his lap, staring off into nowhere. "Mr. Dave, can we have ice cream?"

Rossi started to nod, but was stopped by JJ's glare. "What do you say, Henry?"

"Please can we have ice cream?" he begged.

"With all the toppings that you want," Rossi promised, gathering Henry in his arms. He kissed Henry's forehead. "You're going to be all right, kid."

JJ stayed on the couch watching as Rossi walked into the hallway with Henry. She smiled to herself as she heard them laughing on their way to the kitchen. She knew this was only a first step in Henry's acceptance that his father was moving away, but she couldn't help but think that things would be a little easier with Rossi around to shower Henry with extra love and attention.

Suddenly her conversation with Garcia and Prentiss over her feelings about Rossi popped back into her head. She had been so sure that she was trying to convince the two of them that she didn't have thoughts outside of friendship for David Rossi, but she was beginning to question that certainty. Surely, she wouldn't have felt so panicked over the thought of leaving his house if they were just friends. Or were they just friends and she was turning feelings of gratefulness into something more?

She tried to imagine how she would feel if she was staying with Garcia or Prentiss or even Hotch, but found she had a hard time doing that. She told Garcia and Prentiss that she would have gone home with any of them if they had been at the BAU, but a part of her knew that none of them would be at the BAU that night. A small part of her had gone there hoping that Rossi was still there. She could rationalize it if she wanted to that he had the biggest house and therefore, she sought him at for that reason, but neither her heart nor her head would let her believe that.

"Hey, Mama," Rossi said, popping his and Henry's heads back into the living room. "Are you coming to eat ice cream with us?"

JJ smiled, clearing all complicated thoughts from her brain for another day. "Absolutely. I wouldn't miss time with my guys for anything."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hotch watched his team on the plane as he grabbed a cup of coffee. They were each decompresses in their own way: Reid was napping; Morgan was listening to his mp3 player; Prentiss was reading a book. What stuck out to Hotch was that instead of sitting with their heads together gossiping over Henry's latest antics, JJ and Rossi were on opposites sides of the plane, each lost in their own thoughts as they stared out the windows. Smiling to himself, Hotch made his way to Rossi and sat down.

"So," Hotch began, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't be overheard by the others, "Will's been gone for a month now. How's Henry doing?"

"He seems to be doing okay," Rossi replied, his eyes lighting up at the mention of the little boy, despite his suspicion over Hotch's true motive for sitting down. "He's asked for Will a few times, but he seems to be adjusting. Will's only called once, the bastard, and barely spent ten minutes on the phone with Henry."

Hotch nodded in sympathy with Henry's plight. "And you and JJ? How's that going?"

Rossi sighed. "There is nothing going on to be going."

"Uh-huh." Hotch smirked at Rossi's sentence. "She's still living in your house, right? With no plans to leave?"

"Yes," Rossi hissed. "We don't want to uproot Henry again as you well know!" Rossi glanced around the plane, making sure that no one had heard him. "JJ and I are just friends. We're like roommates."

Hotch pursed his lips together, studying his best friend. He leaned closer to Rossi. "What's stopping you?"

Rossi froze. "I-"

"JJ seems to be over Will. In fact, I overheard Garcia offering to set her up with a friend of hers... Luke, I think? Anyway, JJ said she'd have to think about it, but she didn't sound completely opposed to the idea." Hotch bit back a chuckle at the look of horror on Rossi's face. Garcia's friend, Luke, had once shown up for one of their happy hours and had proceeded to charm all of the BAU ladies. "You should go ask her out before someone else does."

"It-" Rossi cleared his throat. "It wouldn't be fair. She's young and vibrant and-"

"Completely hung up on you," Hotch finished.

Rossi shook his head. "No, she's not. She's just grateful to have a soft place to land for awhile."

Hotch sighed, wondering when is best friend had become such a clueless idiot. "If you honestly believe that then you really don't know JJ. Jennifer Jareau has never felt the need to 'grateful' to anyone. If she didn't want to be living at your place with you, she would have left after the first weekend. Get your head out of your ass, Dave, and push your insecurities away. Go to her before someone else does because she's not going to wait around forever for you."

With that, Hotch stood and walked towards the back of the plane to where he had been sitting previously. Rossi's eyes filled with trepidation as Hotch paused at JJ's seat. He bent down and whispered something into JJ's ear causing them both to laugh before continuing on his journey. Jealousy rose in Rossi's chest and he jumped up, nearly running to seat next to JJ.

"Hey, Dave," JJ said, warmly.

"Hi," he replied.

She waited a few minutes for him to say something, but he remained quiet. JJ pressed her lips together. "So, it's suppose to rain tomorrow..."

Rossi barely heard her over the blood rushing through his ears. He blurted out, "What did Hotch say to you?"

"Huh?"

"Hotch. Just now. What did he say to you that made you laugh?" Rossi cringed at the desperation in his voice.

JJ smiled and shook her head a little bit. "Oh, nothing. He was just making a joke about one of the detectives on the case."

Rossi shot a quick look at Hotch, who was engrossed in something on his phone. "Hotch was making a joke?"

"Yeah, he's actually pretty funny, but he usually saves it for when we're away from the rest of the team." Again, JJ grew quiet, waiting for Rossi to say something. She let out a tiny sigh. "Soooo, was there a reason that you came over or-"

"I was wondering-" Rossi rushed out. He stopped and took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner when we get back."

JJ felt her heart skip a beat. "Like on a date?"

Rossi opened his mouth to reply, but only intelligible squeaks emerged.

"I would love to go out to dinner with you. I'll call the nanny when we to the office and make sure it's okay with her to watch Henry for a few hours later," JJ told him.

"Sounds good," Rossi breathed out, relief poring out of him. He stood to move back to his seat.

JJ grabbed his arm, forcing him to bend down to her. "Why don't you let me know at the end of the night whether it's a date or not?"

Rossi nodded before returning to his seat. He was quiet the rest of the plane ride and on the way to the office. He chose to ride with Morgan and Prentiss instead of JJ, Hotch, and Reid, too nervous about the coming night to be in JJ's presence around the others.

"Mr. Dave! Mr. Dave!" Henry squealed as the BAU team disembarked from the elevator. He pulled away from Garcia to leap into the older man's arms.

"What are you doing here, slugger?" Rossi asked, hugging him tightly. He searched over Henry's shoulder for JJ.

JJ stepped next to them. "And where's the love for your mama?"

Henry leaned over and kissed JJ's cheek, but remained firmly in Rossi's arms. "I love you, Mama."

"Your nanny got sick," Garcia told them. "Not to worry. It's probably just a twenty-four hour bug, but she thought it would be better if I took Henry."

"Oh," JJ replied. She frowned at Rossi, disappointed, as the rest of the team headed towards their desks. "Have you eaten dinner yet, Henry?"

Henry shook his head. Rossi switched him to his hip. "Henry, how would you like-"

"Henry!" Hotch called out. "You are just the kid I was looking for!"

"Me?" Henry asked, surprised. He grinned widely.

Hotch nodded, taking him from Rossi. "I was just talking to Jack and he was wondering if you would like to come to a sleepover tonight?"

Henry's face lit up. "Can I, Mama? Please?"

"Are you sure?" JJ asked Hotch. He confirmed. "Well, I guess, then, you can. But I want you to call me if you want to come home, okay?"

"Okay, Mama," Henry huffed. He wiggled until Rossi put him down. Henry grabbed Hotch's hand. "We go now, Mr. Hotch?"

Hotch led him to the stairs. "I just have to grab something from my office, then we can go pick up Jack from his aunt's. How would you like pizza for dinner?" Hotch looked over his shoulder as Henry cheered. "Don't worry about clothes. I still have some of Jack's old things laying around. I'll call you tomorrow morning about dropping him off."

JJ turned to Rossi as Hotch and Henry disappeared into Hotch's office. "I almost feel as if my son's been kidnapped."

"Not kidnapped," Rossi assured her. "Just off to have a fun night with his best friend."

"He told me you were his best friend." JJ chuckled at Rossi's speechlessness. "Still, it was nice of Hotch to offer to take Henry for the night."

Rossi's stomach sunk a bit at hearing the admiration in JJ's voice. He shook his head. Hotch was doing everything he could to push the two of them together. There was nothing going on between the two of them and he needed to stop with these dark thoughts. "How do you feel about Italian? I know this great little mom and pop place on the way home."

"Sounds good," JJ agreed. "Let me just grab some files for the weekend, say good-bye to Henry, and we can head out."

JJ nervously ran her fingers over the red checkered linen on the table as they waited for their meals to come. After leaving the BAU, Rossi had once again retreated inside his own head. JJ tried to think of something to say to start off the conversation, but her brain kept blanking out. She had been teasing Rossi when she mentioned the word date, but it seemed to have put a damper on their time together.

"This is ridiculous," JJ muttered.

"What?" he asked, his eyes flickering from the candle in the middle of the table to her face.

JJ smiled. "I said, this is ridiculous. We've been having dinner together for months now. There's no reason why this should be any different just because we're out. We've been out before."

Rossi shrugged. "Yes, but we always have Henry."

"Did Henry really call me his best friend?" Rossi asked, grabbing on to a safe topic.

"He did," she confirmed. "Well, technically, he called you his 'first best friend.' Jack is his 'second best friend.' Reid is his 'third best friend.' Penelope is his 'fourth best friend.' And Hotch is his 'fifth best friend.' I suspect that Emily and Morgan would be on that list, too, but he can't really count that high."

Rossi chortled. "What about you? Why aren't you on the list?"

JJ rolled her eyes. "According to my son, I'm a 'mama and mamas can't be best friends because they're mamas."

"That sound like him." Rossi took a sip of wine. "That kid adores you." He took another sip. "I understand where he's coming from. I kind of adore you, too."

"Dave." Her entire body flushed red. "I-"

Rossi held a hand out to stop her. "Look, I'm going to confess something, mostly because I think Hotch will kill me if I continue to mope about this." He took a deep breath. "I have... oh, this is going to sound so lame... feelings for you."

JJ froze. "Feelings? What kind of feelings?"

For a second, he considered backtracking, telling her that he meant paternal feelings, but he could hear Hotch's disapproval in his head. He couldn't remember a time when his heart beat faster than it was right then. "I think I could fall in love you."

"Oh," she gasped. "I-"

"Okay, who had the lasagna and who had the spaghetti?" the waiter asked, interrupting JJ's reply. The inference broke the moment between the two. A curtain of quiescence fell over the table. It lasted though dinner and the ride home. JJ fidgeted uncomfortably as Rossi placed the car in park.

Rossi rubbed his face with his hand. "I'm sorry for what I said at dinner. It's clearly made things awkward between the two of us and it was never my intention. You're my friend, one of my best friends, and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that. I don't want you to take Henry and move out just because I'm a foolish, old man."

"Dave!" JJ barked, shutting him up. She reached across the car to cradle his cheek with her hand. She placed a soft kiss upon his lips. "I don't think you're old and I don't think you're foolish." She kissed him again. "You surprised me with your declaration. I thought I was the only one with... feelings."

"You have feelings?" Rossi searched her blue eyes as she slightly inclined her head. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Do you want to do something about those feelings?"

JJ licked her lips. "Yes. But we have to go slow. It's not just us to think about-"

"It's Henry, too," he finished. "I agree. We should take this slow." Rossi grasped her hands. "But you'll stay here? You and Henry?"

"We'll stay, but we have to keep any... relationship away from here, for Henry's sake," JJ said, firmly. Rossi agreed. She placed one last kiss on his lips. "So, I guess there's only one last question to deal with: was this a date?"

Rossi grinned widely as JJ got out of the car. He watched as she shimmered to the door. "Definitely a date."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

JJ woke up the morning after her and Rossi's date with butterflies in her stomach. She could smell coffee and bacon from the kitchen and silently cursed herself for turning off her alarm. Now, she would have to walk into the kitchen with Rossi already there instead of the other way around. The idea made her bit uncomfortable, though she wasn't sure why.

"Morning," JJ said, walking into the kitchen trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Good morning," Rossi replied, nearly dropping the spatula in his hand. "How did you sleep last night?"

JJ grabbed a cup of coffee. "Good. Real good. How about you?"

Rossi flipped the last pancake onto the plate. "I can't complain. Have a seat. I made breakfast."

"It looks delicious. Thanks," she said, taking a seat at the table. Silently, she pulled her breakfast together and began to eat. Rossi followed her lead. They dropped occasional glances at each other, but never managed to make direct eye contact.

"This is ridiculous," Rossi announced when they were finished with breakfast. He placed the last of their dishes into the sink to take care of later and turned to her. "We've been colleagues, friends, and roommates for how long now? Things shouldn't be awkward just because we went on a date."

JJ laughed. "You're right. We-" She was stopped when her phone rang. "It's Hotch. I should get this."

Rossi sighed as she answered the phone. He absently wiped down the counter. His mind constantly wandered to their sweet kisses the night before. He had been surprised by just how fast he had become aroused by them; he had spent extra time in the shower last night. Rossi couldn't remember the last time someone had gotten him that wound up.

"What did Hotch have to say?" Rossi asked her when she got off the phone.

"He asked if it was okay if he kept Henry until this afternoon. It seems that Jack and Henry begged him to take them to the park and he just couldn't refuse. They should be back around four, he said," JJ explained, a small smirk upon her lips as she pictured the two little boys talking Hotch into the plan. She hoped the two would always remain "good" or else they were all in for some rough teenage years.

Rossi pursed his lips together, his own thoughts very close to JJ. He shook his head when he started to remember some of the things that he pulled off as a kid. There was absolutely no way that Henry nor Jack were going to do that as long as he was around.

"Well, then," Rossi said, "it looks like we have a few hours to kill before Henry gets back. Is there anything you'd like to do?"

"There is something." JJ leaned in close to him, keeping her body just out of contact of his. She brushed her lips against his ear as she whispered, "I really, really... want to spend the day on the couch watching movies."

Rossi barely contained his shudder as her breath washed over him. "Uh, okay. We could do that. What are you in the mood for? Action? Horror? A 'Godfather' marathon?"

JJ shook her head. "It kind of feels like a chick flick day." She chuckled at Rossi's groan. "You can't full me, David Rossi. I've seen the dvds that you have hidden in your den."

"You- what?"

"Remember a few weeks ago when Henry was on that rampage, tearing everything off of shelves that he could get to?" Rossi nodded. "Well, he managed to get to the shelf in your den where all your books are. Imagine my surprise when just behind those books are all chick flicks. 'Love Actually', 'The Proposal', 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Steel Magnolias', 'You've Got Mail', too many Danielle Steele movies to mention – you really have them all."

Rossi's eyes grew wide and his jaw set. "If you tell anyone about this Jaraeu, I'll bury you."

JJ threw up her hands in mock defense, amusement sparkling her blue eyes. "Your secret is safe with me. What do you say? Are you in?"

"I'm in. Meet you in the living room in ten minutes."

Entering the living room, Rossi saw that she had laid out a smorgasbord of snacks and drinks over the coffee table. A stack of movies sat on the corner; he could see "Sleepless in Seattle", "Pretty in Pink", "Practical Magic" and "The Notebook" from the doorway. JJ turned from the television stand where she had put in the first dvd and Rossi gasped. She was wearing gray sweatpants and a white, long-sleeved t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore no make-up. She never looked more beautiful to him than she did in that moment.

"Why are you staring?" JJ asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"I'm just- ah, I, um – No reason," he finally settled on. He sat down on the couch. "Which one are we starting with?"

JJ hunkered down beside him, curling her feet herself. She leaned against his chest as she replied, "'27 Dresses'. It's a favorite of mine."

Rossi smiled as the scent from her shampoo permeated his nose. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer to him. "It's no 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', but it'll do."

Two and a half movies later, Rossi found his arousal once again growing as JJ seemingly absently stroked him. She danced her fingers up and down his thighs, over his abdomen, and across his chest, all the while staring at the television screen. In turn, Rossi began to caress her arm.

JJ's breathing grew labored as she began to heat up. The spicy smell of his cologne combined with the sex scene on the screen (thank you, Ryan Gosling and Rachel MacAdams) caused her body to heat up rapidly. JJ felt a blush creep up her neck.

She turned her head to look right at his neck. She could see the skin beating as his pulse pounded. She placed a feather-like peck under his jaw. "I think 'The Notebook' just might be my favorite movie."

Rossi's breath hitched and stopped the movement on her arm. "I think I'm beginning to agree with you."

"R-really?" JJ continued to press kisses into his neck. "What would you say was your favorite part?"

"Well, I mean their first date was really sweet and of course, the ending was bittersweet, but I think it's this," his voice went up an octave as she brushed his burgeoning erection, "-this is my favorite scene."

Smirking to herself, JJ sat up, her grin increasing as he moaned at her loss. She swung one leg over his hip so that she was straddling his lap. Biting her bottom lip, she whispered, "Hey."

Rossi licked his lips. "Hey, yourself." He ran his hands up her sides, hovering just over her breasts. She placed her hands on his neck, fiddling with the hair on the back of his head.

"So, I was thinking," she said, coyly.

"About what?" Rossi slid his hands back down to her waist.

JJ scooted in closer to him, flexing over his harden member. "That I would really, really like to kiss you right now."

Rossi opened his mouth respond, but JJ cut him by thrusting her tongue into his mouth. Her kisses were hot and drugging, not all resembling the pleasant ones from last night. Rossi thought his blood would boiling with how hot she made him.

He broke their kissing with heave. He leaned back slightly to pull her shirt over her head. He tossed it somewhere behind them. He planted kisses across her chest, lapping at the lace edging of her white bra. "I think you may kill me."

"But what a way to go," JJ countered. She captured his mouth once again. She moved her hands under his sweater, rubbing his chest. She began to rock against him.

Rossi gyrated against her. "Oh, God! You feel so good!"

JJ groaned in response as her movements grew faster. She anchored her hands onto his shoulders as he pressed his thumbs over her sweatpants into her core. She threw her head back in ecstasy as the orgasm overtook her. Rossi pulled her against him, frantically, as his own release took hold. A feral howl tore from his lips.

Laying her head on his shoulder to catch her breath, JJ delighted in the aftershocks that she was feeling. She couldn't wait to experience the real thing. After a few minutes, she sat up straight, looking into his dark eyes. "Well, that was unexpected."

"Unexpected bad or unexpected good?" Rossi asked, nervously.

"Good," JJ replied, cupping his cheek to reassure him. "Definitely good."

He drew her face down for a gentle kiss. "Do you have any idea how amazing you are? How lucky I feel that you have opened yourself to me?"

JJ blushed. "I feel like I'm the lucky one. You... have such an amazing heart. You have done so much for me; for Henry. You're a good man, Dave." She looked down at her lap. "I could really use a good man in my life."

For the second time that day, Rossi opened his mouth only to be interrupted by JJ's phone ringing. Remaining on his lap, she reached backwards to grab. She tossed it onto the couch a few minutes later.

"That was Hotch. He's bringing Henry back in about a half hour," she explained. Gingerly, she rose. "I should probably jump in the shower. I'm a mess."

"You're a mess?" he chortled, following her out of the living room. "I haven't felt like this since I was a twelve-year-old boy."

JJ's laughter echoed throughout the house.


	11. Chapter 11

Epilogue

I am truly happy, JJ thought to herself, as she watched Rossi trying to teach Henry how to swim. It was a hot July Saturday, nearly six months since her first date with Rossi. She and Henry continued to live at his house, though they took great care to keep their dating life separate from the roommate aspect. She didn't spend the night in Rossi's room, except for the rare occasions that Garcia or Hotch took Henry for the night.

Henry seemed to be adjusting well. He had only talked to Will twice the last few months; once when Will called to wish him a happy Easter and once last month to let them know that Henry had a brand new sister, Madison. Each phone call brought a week's worth of clinginess from Henry and JJ found herself torn between wanting Henry to have a relationship with Will and wanting him to go away completely.

Rossi more than made up for the lack of presence Will had in Henry's life. The two of the were like peas in a pod with Henry following Rossi around whenever they were together. It was Rossi that Henry wanted to tuck him every night and though it stung a bit to give up even a little of her son, the fact that it was JJ that he went to first thing in the morning eased the ache. Rossi had taken to fatherhood like a duck to water. He had even cut back his hours with the BAU to spend more time with Henry, traveling only when they worked a high profile case.

Shifting in the lounge chair, JJ's thoughts turned to her and Rossi. Their relationship had progressed steadily since their first date. If anyone had told her just a year ago that she would be sitting here with her heart full of love for David Rossi, she would have called them crazy. But yet, as she soaked in the summer sun, that's exactly the position that she found herself in. There was no part of herself that she hadn't share with him: her sister's suicide, her parents' divorce, her fears, her joys, her guilts. She, in turn, had seen the good, the bad, and everything in between of Rossi's soul and found that she loved him even more for it.

"Mama! Mama, watch me!" Henry called.

"I'm watching, baby!" JJ sat up, removing her sunglasses. She laughed as he ducked his head under the water and flailed his arms and legs. Henry came out of the water with a huge smile on his face. "Great job!"

Henry had Rossi lift him out of the pool so that he could run to JJ. "Mama, Daddy teached me to swim."

JJ froze. Henry had never called Rossi anything other than "Mr. Dave" and she knew she had to proceed carefully. "Mr. Dave taught you how to swim."

"Yeah, Daddy teached me to swim," Henry repeated.

"Henry." JJ's voice trailed off and she looked helplessly at Rossi.

Rossi sat down on the chair next to JJ. He pulled Henry into his arms. "Henry, you know that I love you very much, right?" Henry nodded. "You know that you have a daddy, right? He just lives far away."

Henry shook his head. "I want Mr. Dave to be my daddy! He loves me! He teacheds me things like Mr. Hotch teacheds Jack."

"He has us there, Jayje," Rossi told her. "I do love him. I couldn't love him more if he was my own. I would adopt him in a heartbeat if I thought Will would let me."

"What do you want me to do?" she hissed. "Let my son call my boyfriend 'dad'? Yeah, that sounds sane!"

Rossi shrugged. "I was thinking more that you could let your son call your husband 'papa', but I suppose we could worry about semantics later."

JJ's jaw dropped. "Are you seriously proposing to me so that you can be my son's father?"

"No, I'm proposing to you because I love you and can't imagine a day in my life without you," he shot back. "And I know it's only been six months, but can you honestly see your feelings changing any in another six? We've been friends for years and we've slid into a romantic relationship with ease. I think that says a lot. What do you say?"

"I say, Henry you can go ahead and call Mr. Dave 'Papa'."

From his place on Rossi's lap, Henry cheered as Rossi and JJ kissed.

"And that, dear heart, is how your papa proposed to me," JJ told her seven-year-old daughter.

"That's not very romantic, Papa," Maya told her father, her light brown eyes admonishing him.

Rossi tapped her nose. "What do you know about being romantic?"

JJ laughed. "She's right, dear. It was not a very romantic proposal."

"Would you like me to redo your proposal, cara?" Rossi asked her, his eyes twinkling mischievously. He took her hand and kissed it.

"Ugh," Henry groaned, walking into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator to root around for some food. "Don't you two ever stop?"

Rossi released his wife to hug his son. "Nope. Someday, my boy, you'll understand." Keeping his arm around Henry's shoulder, he turned to JJ. "So, what do you say? Would you like me and the boy the redo your proposal?"

JJ shook her head. "After eight years of marriage and three kids, I think I'm good."

"Good." He turned towards the stove where he was cooking sauce, only to stop again. "Wait. Did you say three kids?

"Congratulations, Papa."

THE END


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